Where do I even begin with this?

I'm very sensitive to smell and I do get quite picky with perfume. I own a lot of shoes, bags, mugs, bits and bots, but unlike many other ladies out there, I do not own a lot of perfume. The very one I have been wearing was Daisy by Marc Jacobs gifted by an important someone (which I never really used, I really just liked the bottle!), Miss Dior Cherie which beautifully reminded me of a Parisian Summer evening along River Seine (and I have not got over the fact that they discontinued the line!!) and lately, Narcisco by Narciso Rodriguez.

Point is - I really need to find a scent that truly represents me and that I'll be confident enough to wear on a daily basis and the day came when I met The Noir 29 by Le Labo (and have not stopped wearing since). It combines depth and freshness, softness and strength through permanent oscillation between the light of bergamot, fig and bay leaves and the depth of cedar wood, vetiver and musk. A special extraction of black tea leaves wraps up the composition by bringing to the formula a dry, leafy, hay, tobacco feeling in the dry down to transform this creation into a sensuous and addictive essence.

We sit down with founder Fabrice and Eddie on their sensory journey with Le Labo:

How did it all started with Le Labo - what was the catalyst that sparked your interest to start your own perfume line?
The world has changed in the last 11 years… back then, there was very little choice in perfumery for someone who was tired of the marketing tricks played by the designer brands and wanted to wear a great, spectacular, creative perfume.

We wanted to propose an alternative - in the perfume itself, but also by sharing the backstage of perfume creation sharing the craftsmanship behind a true fine fragrance. By working with the best perfumers in the world, by making every perfume to the order, by a permanent reverence to craftsmanship, we decided to challenge the perfume status quo. We launched our first boutique in Nolita, NYC on 2006.

What inspires you creatively? What's the process like for creating a new scent?
The process starts by this inspiration, then you go to the lab trying to shape this inspiration with a perfumer by a first draft with several ingredients, and then it is a back and forth of a few years of wearing, smelling, feed backs... some of our perfumes required over 400 modifications - some less than 50. You never know when the magic will happen.

What's your favorite scent?
F: Santal 33
E: Oud 27

We also hear they came out with their City Exclusives edition and we can't wait to try them all - check it out here.